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Beren
Beren, also called Beren Erchamion, was a man of Middle-earth, and a hero whose romance with the Elf Lúthien was one of the great stories of the Elder Days that were told for many ages after he lived. Biography ] Early life in Dorthonion Beren was one of the Edain (men), the son of Barahir and Emeldir the man-hearted. He was a man of the royal House of Bëor of Dorthonion, and the most accomplished hero and adventurer of the First Age. The battle of the Dagor Bragollach befell during his youth, bringing about the ruin of his kingdom. The young Beren lived with his father and eleven loyal followers in the highlands of Dorthonion, and the thirteen of them performed many acts of bravery, to the great frustration of Morgoth, the Dark Lord of Angband. After the ruin of the Outlaws of Dorthonion and the death of his father, Beren lived alone in Dorthonion off the land and came to know the many birds and beasts that lived there, and they helped him when he needed it. During this time, he hunted nothing and ate no meat and only killed the creatures of Morgoth that roamed the country. He learned not to fear death only captivity and bondage; however, things began to grow more difficult for him in Dorthonion for Morgoth put an even greater price on his head and he was forced from the land of his birth by Sauron and Draugluin. He crossed into Doriath, through the forests of Dungortheb, where he saw and fell in love with Lúthien, princess of the Sindar and daughter of Thingol and Melian.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIX: "Of Beren and Lúthien" The Quest for the Silmaril Thingol haughtily refused to give Lúthien's hand in marriage. He said that he would allow the marriage to take place only if Beren brought back a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. The task was intended to be impossible, but Beren and Lúthien, with the aid of Finrod of Nargothrond and Huan the Great Hound (both of whom died protecting Beren), braved many perils (even besting Sauron, then Morgoth's most powerful lieutenant) and captured a Silmaril. However, as they escaped from Angband, the great wolf Carcharoth, whom Morgoth had personally bred, awoke. Beren held out the Silmaril, hoping that its radiance would avert the beast, but he was mistaken. Carcharoth bit off his hand swallowed it and the Silmaril (thus Beren was called Erchamion, One-hand), and proceeded to run rampant through Doriath. Lúthien and the unconscious Beren were rescued by the Eagles of Manwë. When he presented himself to Thingol, he demonstrated to him that he had obtained, then lost the Silmaril at the cost of one of his hands; he was then given the name Camlost, Empty-handed. Beren participated in the hunting of Carcharoth, where the beast was slain and the Silmaril recovered; the quest was accomplished, but in the process Beren was mortally wounded. Second life Lúthien's love for Beren was so strong that, upon hearing of his death, she lay down and died. Her soul went to the Halls of Mandos, where she managed to charm Mandos into granting her a wish. Both she and Beren were miraculously restored to life, but both of them would live as mortals and die the death of Men, and go beyond the walls of Arda to a place unknown. Thus Beren and Lúthien lived again, and dwelt on Tol Galen in the middle of the river Adurant in Ossiriand. There they stayed apart from other mortals; Beren was involved with the events of the First Age only one further time, when he waylaid a group of dwarves who had destroyed Doriath and stolen the Nauglamír (and the Silmaril with it). Lúthien bore Beren a son, named Dior, Thingol's heir, considered to be one of the fairest beings to ever live, for in him flowed the blood of men, of elves, and of the Ainur. Through his descendants, the blood of Beren and of Lúthien was preserved among the Eldar and the Edain. Legacy Beren's deeds inspired all the peoples opposing Morgoth to unite themselves into a greater force to vanquish his power resulting in the valiant but doomed Union of Maedhros.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XX: "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad" His romance and love for Lúthien Tinúviel and what he was willing to do to ensure it helped foster greater respect for men amongst the elves. He was also the first to mix the blood of elves and men with each other and this bloodline continued, siring the Númenórean nobility''The Silmarillion, Akallabêth'' (The Downfall of Númenor) and the Dúnedain alike on up to Aragorn II Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom. Etymology In Noldorin, Beren means "bold".The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies" His epithets, Erchamion ("one-handed") and Camlost ("empty-handed"), both contain the Sindarin word cam ("hand").The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names Weapons As an outlaw in Dorthonion, Beren used the sword Dagmor and a bow to aid him in his journey. Later, he carried the knife Angrist, which he used to cut the Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. Inspiration and evolution of character The story of Beren and Lúthien, though mentioned only briefly in The Lord of the Rings, was a central part of the legendarium. Tolkien once referred to it as "the kernel of the mythology" The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 165. He went on to say that it "arose from a small woodland glade filled with 'hemlocks', which he visited while serving in the Humber Garrison in 1918 (during World War I). Tyr, a god of Norse Mythology, was a possible literary inspiration for Beren's loss of his hand to the wolf. When Tolkien died in 1973, he was buried in Wolvercote Cemetery (North Oxford). The inscription on his gravestone reads: :JOHN RONALD REUEL TOLKIEN Beren 1892 - 1973 The name of ''Lúthien'' also appears on the stone of his wife Edith: :EDITH MARY TOLKIEN Lúthien 1889 – 1971 Other versions of the legendarium In the earliest version of the legendarium, Beren was going to be human, but Tolkien erased over the original versions and wrote over much of the text. The details of the original version of the story are little known.Beren and Lúthien In the written draft, and published version Beren was changed to a Gnome (a Ñoldorin Elf), son of Egnor (which might have been an early name for Aegnor).The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter X: "Gilfanon's Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli and the Coming of Mankind" According to ''Beren and Lúthien'' Egnor and Egnor (Aegnor) are two separate persons. It treats Barahir and Egnor bo-Rimion as two separate persons (there is no explanation given, other than his father changed concepts of Beren's race over time). But due to Christopher's plan to avoid too much editorial influence, he does not 'fix' or edit Beren's race to be consistent between different chapters of the story, but retains whatever race his father had used at the time of wring each section of the story for what he considers the 'continuous and standalone story' derived from all the sources. Some of the artwork included in the book (all of which is drawn by Alan Lee) seems to reflect Beren's interchanging Elven ancestry - in particular the cover artwork, which appears to portray a scene from The Tale of Tinúviel with Beren, Lúthien, and Huan. Translations References de:Beren Erchamion es:Beren fr:Beren it:Beren Erchamion nl:Beren Erchamion pl:Beren ru:Берен Category:Edain Category:Lords of Ladros Category:Barahir's Band of Outlaws Category:Elf friends Category:The Silmarillion Characters Category:Characters in The History of Middle-earth Category:Characters in Beren and Lúthien